Pocock entered the Navy in 1718, became a lieutenant in 1726, a commander in 1734, a captain in 1738 and served almost continuously until the peace in 1748. In 1754 he went to the East Indies in command of the CUMBERLAND and in the following year was promoted to rear-admiral. In 1757 Pocock became a vice-admiral and on the death of Rear-Admiral Charles Watson (1714-1757), succeeded him in command, remaining in the East Indies until 1760. In 1762, he was promoted to admiral, but after he commanded the expedition to capture Havana, 1762 to 1763, had no further employment. He was Member of Parliament for Plymouth from 1760 to 1768.
The dockyard at Portsmouth was established in 1495. It was used throughout the reign of Henry VIII but was thereafter neglected until the Civil War when new buildings were erected and permanent officers appointed. The extension and improvement of yard facilities continued through the Dutch wars. Further periods of expansion followed between 1684 and 1690, 1694 and 1704 and 1716 and 1723. This expansion and the movement of the centre of naval operations into the Western approaches made Portsmouth the most important dockyard from the mid-eighteenth century. During the eighteenth century the area of the yard more than doubled in size; in the nineteenth century it trebled. The most notable additions were the Steam Basin, built between 1843 and 1848, and a further extension between 1863 and 1868 which added two locks, three docks and three basins. Expansion continued in the twentieth century. The dockyard remains operational today, and the Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command is based there. See H. Kitson, 'The Early History of Portsmouth Dockyard, 1496-1800', parts 1-4, The Mariner's Mirror, 33 (1947), 256-65, 34 (1948), 3-11, 87-97, 271-9.
Parr was born on 14 June 1849 and entered the Royal Navy in 1863. He served in the 1875-1876 Arctic Expedition under Captain Sir George S Nares, and was promoted to Commander. In 1882, he participated in the Egyptian War (3rd Class Medjidie). Parr became a Captain in 1887, acted as Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria, 1900-1901, and was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1901. From 1903-1905 he served as Vice-President of the Ordnance Committee, also gaining the rank of Vice-Admiral in 1905. Parr retired from the Navy in 1906, and was made Admiral (retired list) in 1908. He died on 20 February 1914.
Purvis served as able seaman and midshipman in the ARROGANT on the coast of Spain from 1761 to 1763. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1778, serving in the INVINCIBLE on the North American Station. In 1779 he was appointed to the BRITANNIC in the Channel. From 1781 to 1783 he commanded the DUC DE CHANTRES on the North American Station and in 1782 captured the French ship L'AIGLE, for which he was promoted to captain. After being on half-pay during the years of peace, Purvis was given command in 1793 of the AMPHITRITE and then of the PRINCESS ROYAL in the Mediterranean, where he remained until 1796. From 1797 to 1801 he commanded the LONDON in the Channel, followed by the ROYAL GEORGE, 1801 to 1802, and the DREADNOUGHT, 1803 to 1804, on the same station. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1804. In 1806 he was sent out to the blockade of CADIZ and remained in command there until 1810. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1809 and admiral in 1819.
Pryce-Cumby entered the Navy in 1784 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1792. Between 1795 and 1798 he served in the ASTREA and then in the THALIA, being present at the battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797. Following three years as Flag-Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Alexander Graeme (d 1818) at the NORE, he was appointed to command the SWIFT in the North Sea between 1803 and 1804. In 1804 he was appointed to the BELLEROPHON and, when the captain was killed at Trafalgar, took command of the ship. He was promoted to captain in 1806 and in the following year was appointed to the DRYAD on the Irish Station. From 1808 to 1811 he was Captain of the POLYPHEMUS, having command of a squadron at San Domingo in 1809, and from 1811 to 1815 of the HYPERION. In 1812 he was ordered to Davis Strait to protect the whale fishery and in 1813 was on convoy duty in the Atlantic. From 1814 to 1815 he was in the Channel. Pryce-Cumby had no further service until 1837, when he was appointed Superintendent of Pembroke Dockyard; he died in the same year.
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Porter became a surgeon in the Navy in 1877 and after service abroad joined the SCOUT, Mediterranean Station, from 1889 to 1892. He then served at Bermuda Dockyard. In 1896 he was Staff Surgeon in the BRITANNIA and in 1897 went to the DORIS, flagship at the Cape of Good Hope, and was promoted to Fleet Surgeon there in 1898. Between 1899 and 1900 Porter was Principal Medical Officer to the Naval Brigade in South Africa and afterwards received special promotion to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals and Fleets. In 1902 he was appointed to the Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham and to Gibraltar in 1905. In the next year he became Inspector-General. Between 1907 and 1908 he was Principal Medical Officer at Haslar. In 1908 he became Medical Director-General of the Navy until his retirement in 1913. During 1915 he was Principal Hospital Transport Officer for the Mediterranean Station, being much concerned with the Dardanelles campaign. He reverted to the retired list in 1917.
Pridham-Wippell entered the Navy in 1900. He became a midshipman in 1901, lieutenant in 1907, commander in 1919 and captain in 1926. Following several commands afloat and two spells at the Admiralty, he was promoted to rear-admiral in 1938 and vice-admiral in 1941. He was Vice-Admiral commanding the First Battle Squadron and second-in-command, Mediterranean Fleet, 1940 to 1941. He was then Flag Officer, Dover, from 1942 to 1944, in which year he was promoted to admiral. From 1945 to 1947 he was Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, and he retired in 1948.
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
Peter Rainier entered the Navy in 1756 and served until 1764. He was then probably with the East India Company for two years. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1768 but did not return to sea until 1774. In 1777 he was appointed to command the OSTRICH, in the West Indies, and was promoted to captain in 1778. In 1779 he was appointed to the BURFORD, in the East Indies, where he was actively engaged during the remainder of the war. During the peace he was on half-pay but in 1793 was appointed to the SUFFOLK and from 1794 to 1804 he was Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, being promoted to rear-admiral in 1795 and to vice-admiral in 1799. He returned home in 1805 and was promoted to admiral in the Trafalgar promotions. In 1807 he was elected Member of Parliament for Sandwich.
J S Rainier served under his uncle, Admiral Peter Rainier, in the East Indies, became a lieutenant in 1794 and a captain in 1796. He commanded the SWIFT, 1795 to 1797, and the CENTURION, 1797 to 1805, in the East Indies. In 1799 he was in the Red Sea, following the French invasion of Egypt. After a gap in his service between 1805 and 1808, he commanded the NORGE in the Mediterranean from 1808 to 1812 and then in the North Sea until 1814. He was a Member of Parliament for Sandwich, 1808 to 1812. In 1819 he was promoted to rear-admiral.
Peter Rainier, son of Admiral Peter Rainier, entered the Navy in 1798. He served under his father in the East Indies and in 1803 to 1804 was a lieutenant in his father's ship, the TRIDENT. He was promoted to captain in 1806 and commanded the CAROLINE in the East Indies, capturing the SAN RAPHAEL in 1807. Between 1813 and 1815 he was in command of the NIGER, engaged on convoy duties in the Atlantic. From 1831 to 1835 he was Flag-Captain to Sir Pulteney Malcolm in the BRITANNIA, off the Dutch coast and in the Mediterranean.
J.H. Rainier was a great-nephew of Captain Peter Rainier (q.v.). He joined the Navy in 1862 and served on the Pacific Station from 1862 to 1866 in the TRIBUNE, TOPAZE, SUTLEJ, LEANDER and ALERT. As a sub-lieutenant and from 1869 as a lieutenant, he served in the VESTAL, RATTLESNAKE and PLOVER on the West African Station, 1867 to 1870, and from 1870 to 1871 was in the PLOVER in the West Indies. From 1872 to 1874 he served in the NORTHUMBERLAND, Channel Squadron. He was promoted to commander in 1880 and served in the KINGFISHER on the East Indies Station from 1884 to 1887. The ship was engaged in anti-slavery patrols off East Africa. He was promoted to captain in 1887 and commanded the TOURMALINE on the North America and West Indies Station from 1889 to 1891. He was in the IRIS, home waters, in 1893. Rainier commanded the RODNEY in the Mediterranean, 1894 to 1897, and was involved in the disturbances in Crete, helping to relieve the town of Kandanos in 1897. He was made a rear-admiral in 1901, a vice-admiral in 1905 and an admiral in 1908.
Harvey entered the Navy in 1787. He was present at the battle of the First of June 1794 and became a lieutenant four months later. In 1796 he was promoted to commander and to post rank in the next year. He was appointed to the Standard in 1805 under Vice-Admiral Collingwood, in the Mediterranean and in 1807 took part in the action of Sir John Duckworth in the Dardanelles. Returning to England in 1808, he was appointed to the Majestic in the Baltic until 1810 and then served until 1815 in the North Sea. Between 1815 and 1839 he had no employment. He was made rear-admiral in 1821, vice-admiral in 1837 and in 1839 was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station; he died during this command.
Rice entered the School of Naval Architecture in 1813. He held appointments in various dockyards between 1819 and 1822, when he became draughtsman to Sir Robert Seppings (1767-1840). In 1824 he sailed to South America to assist in repairing the SPARTIATE. From 1825 to 1844 he was Foreman of Portsmouth Dockyard. In 1837 he went to Lough Swilly to refloat the TERROR, Captain George Back (1796-1878), which had returned from the Arctic badly damaged by the ice. He was promoted to Assistant Master Shipwright in 1844 and in 1852 was appointed Master Shipwright at Pembroke Dockyard but held office for less than a year.
Richmond entered the Navy in 1885 in the BRITANNIA. From 1887 to 1890 he served on the Australian Station in the NELSON, CALLIOPE and ORLANDO. He was a midshipman in the RUBY, Training Squadron, 1890 to 1891, spending some time in the Channel MINOTAUR. In 1892 he was promoted to lieutenant and served in the surveying ship STORK, Mediterranean, until 1893. After a short period in the ACTIVE, Training Squadron, in 1894, he went to the VERNON to specialise in torpedoes and remained on the staff until 1897. He then served as torpedo officer in the EMPRESS OF INDIA, RAMILLIES and CANOPUS, Mediterranean, 1897 to 1900, and in the MAJESTIC, Channel Fleet, 1900 to 1903. He was promoted to commander in 1903. After a brief period at the Admiralty he served in the CRESCENT, flagship at the Cape of Good Hope, from 1904 to 1906. He then returned to the Admiralty for two years, when the Fisher reforms were in progress, and was promoted to captain in 1908. Richmond was captain of the DREADNOUGHTH, flagship of the Atlantic Fleet, from 1908 to 1911. This was followed by two years in command of the FURIOUS and VINDICTIVE, attached to VERNON, during which time he delivered a series of lectures to the Naval War College. In 1913 he became Assistant Director of Operations at the Admiralty. After a short spell in 1915 as liaison officer with the Italian fleet he commanded the COMMONWEALTH, Third Battle Squadron, from 1915 to 1917, and the CONQUEROR, Grand Fleet, 1917 to 1918. In 1918 he was appointed Director of Training and Staff Duties at the Admiralty but in 1919 returned to sea in the ERIN. He was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1920 and appointed first to revive the War Course and later to be President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. From 1923 to 1925 he was Commander-in-Chief, East Indies, and was promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1925. He set up and headed the Imperial Defence College between 1926 and 1931, being promoted to admiral in 1929. He retired in 1931 and in 1934 was appointed to the Vere Harmsworth Chair of Imperial and Naval History. He subsequently became Master of Downing College, Cambridge. Richmond's active interest in naval history, in which he came to specialize, began while he was still a serving officer. He also had strong views on contemporary naval policy which were not always acceptable to the Admiralty. He was the author of numerous books, lectures and articles on the Navy in history and in the present day. His most famous work is 'The Navy in the War of 1739 to 1748' (3 vols, Cambridge, 1920). See A.J. Marder, 'Portrait of an Admiral; the life and papers of Sir Herbert Richmond' (London, 1952) and D.M. Schurman, 'Education of a Navy' (London, 1965).
The Royal Indian Navy's foundation dates from a squadron of ships that was sent out by the East Indies Company to the Swally, Surat on 5 September 1612, under the command of Captain Thomas Bast, to protect British trading interests from the Portuguese. Until 1686, this force was known as the Honourable East Indies Company's Marine, with headquarters initially in Surat, and then Bombay, to where the Company formally transferring its interests in 1685. From 1686 the force became known as the Bombay Marine.
On 1 May 1830, the Bombay Marine became the Indian Navy by Government Order. The Indian Navy was abolished in 1863 and the naval protection of Indian Waters was taken over by the Admiralty. From 1863-1877 the Service was again known as the Bombay Marine, and acted in a non-combatant role, trooping and laying submarine telegraph cables from Bombay to Suez, and Karachi to Basra.
In 1877 the Service was reorganised by Admiral Bythesea, NC, and became Her Majesty's Indian Marine, divided into Eastern and Western Divisions, with dockyards at Calcutta and Bombay. Its duties included: the transportation of troops and stores; maintenance of Station ships and gunboats; building, repair and maintenance of all Indian Government vessels; and marine survey. The HMIM took part in the Abyssinian War of 1871, the Egyptian campaigns 1882 and 1885, the 3rd Burmese War 1885, and the Chin-hushai Expedition in Burma 1889.
These years as a trooping/ surveying organisation earned the Service Royal recognition and in 1892 Queen Victoria authorised the name to be changed to the Royal Indian Marine. The RIM participated in the Suakin Expedition 1896, an Expedition to Mkwelo in East Africa 1897, the Boer War, the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, and a Somaliland Expedition 1902-4. From 1909-14, the RIM was engaged in the suppression of gun-running in the Persian Gulf. After extensive service in World War I, the RIM returned to trooping/ surveying duties and the Service reached its lowest ebb in 1925 as a result of the Inchcape Report. A committee, formed under the Chair of Lord Rawlinson, C-in-C, India (Rawlinson Committee), put foward proposals for reconstituting the Service on a combatant footing, and in 1928 the White Ensign was hoisted onboard all RIM ships.
On 8 September 1934, the Indian Navy (Discipline) Bill received Governor-General's assent and HM King George V conferred the title of Royal Indian Navy on the Service. In February 1939, the Chatfield Committee made recommendations for the RIN taking over increased responsibility for the naval defence of India. Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the RIN began to establish reserves - the Royal Indian Naval Reserve, recruited from serving officers in the Mercantile Marine; and the Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve, recruited from the general public and given intensive training, mainly in Bombay. In addition to the ordinary Continuous Service Ratings, the RIN recruited Special Service Ratings who served for 5 years and then transferred to the Fleet Reserve for 10 years.
On 15 August 1947, the subdivision of India and Pakistan brought about division of the Navy into the Royal Pakistan and Royal Indian Navies. When India abrogated her Dominion status to become a Republic within the Commonwealth on 26 January 1950, the Navy became the Indian Navy.
In 1837 James MacQueen (1778-1870) put a plan to the Government for a steam packet service between England and the Caribbean; this was quickly followed by more ambitious proposals embodied in a 'General Plan for a Mail Communication between Great Britain and the Eastern and Western parts of the World; also to Canton and Sydney westward by the Pacific'. On MacQueen's initiative the West India Committee, an association in London of merchants and planters, gave its support to the formation of a company. Under the chairmanship of John Irving (d.1845), a merchant banker, the first meeting of the Directors of the Company was held in 1839. James MacQueen was appointed 'General Superintendent of Affairs'. In the autumn of 1839 the new company was granted a royal charter and the first mail contract was signed with the Admiralty in 1840. It provided for a service of steamships, twice in each calendar month, from a Channel port (eventually fixed as Southampton) to islands and ports in the West Indies. Connecting with this main line of steamers at the various points there was to be a feeder service of seven steamers and three sailing vessels, serving all the principal islands and countries of the Spanish Main, with an extension northwards to New York, Halifax and Nova Scotia. An annual subsidy of ?24,000 was written into the agreement. Because the contract was with the Admiralty (the first contract with the Postmaster-General was made in 1864) the Royal Navy exercised a great deal of influence over the running of the ships. In an unprecedented building operation, fourteen large steam vessels and three small sailing ships were commissioned in time to start the service in December 1841. In 1846 the service was extended to link up with the west coast of South America (served by the Pacific Steam Navigation Company) over the Isthmus of Panama. A further extension followed in 1850, when a monthly service to Brazil and the River Plate was added to the extended West Indies contract. This new service was of great importance to the subsequent development of the Company. Royal Mail tried three times between 1852 and 1869 to get a foothold in the Australasian trade via Panama, but without any long-term success. A fourth attempt was made in 1906, in conjunction with the Orient Line (q.v.), but the partnership lasted only a year, after which the latter company obtained the mail contract for itself alone. There was a short-lived attempt to acquire berthing rights to Morocco, the Canaries and Madeira. This route was abandoned in 1919. The last five-year mail contract for the West Indies, signed in 1911, was not renewed owing to the advent of the First World War. However, the Canadian mail contract, for a fortnightly service between Canada, the West Indies and British Guiana remained in force from 1913 throughout the war; thereafter it was renewed by short-term extensions, until the increasing use of Canadian Government ships on the route brought it to an end in 1927. In addition, the company known as 'R.M.S.P. Meat Transports Limited' was formed in 1914 in order to put additional refrigerated tonnage on the Plate route. At the end of the First World War, the Company was allocated fourteen standard 'War' type freighters, as well as eleven ships of the Russian Volunteer fleet. From the beginning of the twentieth century the Royal Mail offered cruises on its vessels of which the most notable were Arcadian, Atlantis and Andes. From 1903 the policy of the Company under its Chairman, Owen Cosby Philipps (1863-1937), created Lord Kylsant in 1923, was to broaden the base of its operations by acquiring a controlling interest in a great number of shipping companies in diverse trades. Before the First World War, besides other less important enterprises, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company (1910), Lamport and Bolt and Elder Dempster (1911), the Union Castle Line (1912) and the Nelson Line (1913) became members of the group, with MacIver joining in
The inaugural meeting of the Royal Naval Club of 1765 took place in February of that year. The object was to dine fortnightly at the St Albans' Tavern, St Albans Street from November to April. At the end of the first 'season', the meetings were transferred to the Castle Tavern, Henrietta Street and in 1767 to the Shakespeare's Head Tavern, Covent Garden. Members were elected by ballot and in 1768 an annual subscription of one guinea was imposed. The 'Widows and Legitimate Orphans' Fund' was started in 1792, using the money in hand from the surplus of the annual subscriptions. The club met at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in the Strand from 1806 to 1825 and then transferred to the Piazza Coffee House, Covent Garden, in 1826. A Copenhagen dinner was instituted in 1831 and a Trafalgar dinner in 1833. The Thatched Tavern, St James Street, became the venue of dinners in 1850 and Willis's Rooms, King Street, served that purpose from 1862 to 1889. As the 1765 club met from November to April and Parliament sat from February to June, there was room for a new club to cater for officers who were likely to be in town when Parliament was sitting. The first recorded meeting of the new club, called the Royal Navy Club of 1785, was in February of that year at the Star and Carter Tavern, Pall Mall. At the outset membership was limited to 150 whereas the 1765 club had unlimited membership. H J Kelly (d 1893), who was already secretary of the older club, was appointed first salaried secretary of the 1785 club in 1871. Before this time the books were apparently kept by the master of the tavern. Since 1862 both clubs held their meetings in Willis's Rooms and more than two-thirds of the members belonged to both, so that amalgamation seemed logical. This came into effect on 1 January 1889. Kelly was a natural choice for the secretary of the new club. Most of the prominent naval officers of their day were members of the club, which still exists today.
The Royal Naval College was established by Order of Council on the 1st February 1873 "to provide for the education of Naval Officers of all ranks above that of midshipman, in all branches of theoretical and scientific study bearing upon their profession" (Admiralty Circular no. 8, RNC, Greenwich). It absorbed the School of Naval Architecture, previously based in Kensington. Subjects studied included maths, mechanics, experimental sciences, hydrography, navigation, marine engineering and naval architecture. Students ranged in rank from Acting Sub-Lieutnant to Captain. There were three main groups of students studying at the College: Lieutenants studying gunnery and engineering, who had to pass nine months in the College before they could commence their practical course in the EXCELLENT: fifty to one hundred Sub-Lieutenants, who had completed five years at sea: and about one hundred volunteers of all ages and ranks attending on half-pay. Royal Marine Officers, Dockyard Apprentice Scholars, Merchant Marine Officers, private and foreign students could also study at the College.
The College was primarily a tactical school, despite the establishment of the War Course in 1900 and the renaming of the College "The Royal Naval War College" in 1907. During this period, the eminent naval historian Sir Julian Corbett lectured on history and strategy.
During World War One, the College was used partly as a barracks and also for scientific experimental work. 27,000 officers of the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve passed through the College.
By 1939 all Sub-Lietenants went to the College for two terms for a course in general education and in the elementary study of war. At the outbreak of war, most courses ceased and the Staff College reopened in Novemebr 1943. In 1947 the Combined Staff College was instituted and ran thirty-four courses over the period January 1947 to December 1967. The Department of Nuclear Science and Technology opened in 1959 and was the largest in the College. It provided the essential qualifying courses for offciers who were to operate nuclear submarines or who would be involved in nuclear research. Only after passing the examination at the College could students procees to further training at the full-power shore based nuclear reactor at Dounreay. The Joint Service Defence College, an independent Ministry of Defence Establishment offering courses to prepare British officers of the three services, was relocated to the Royal Naval College in 1983. The JSDC and Royal Naval College were subsumed into a new Joint Service Command and Staff College based at Bracknell in 1998 and the adminstration of the Royal Naval College buildings passed to the Greenwich Foundation.
After the Royal Naval War Libraries had ceased to function at the end of the Second World War, it was decided to use the large collection of non-fiction books which had formed the loan collection as the basis for a peace-time lending library to serve members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and WRNS, both serving and retired. The organisation thus formed was called the Royal Naval Loan Library and it was financed by a capital sum partly made over from the Royal Naval War Libraries fund, with a grant from the Royal Naval War Amenities Fund and other donations. After just a year of existence the organization decided that its financial basis was not strong enough and it was wound up.
Roberts' name was entered in ships' books from 1794 onwards but he apparently served first in the DREADNOUGHT in the Mediterranean from 1801 to 1804. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1805 and served in several ships before being appointed to command the MEROPE on the east coast of Spain in 1812. From 1814 to 1815 he was in the PYLADES on the North American Station. He was promoted to captain in 1815 but had no further service. He retired in 1846 and rose to admiral on the retired list. Roberts took the surname of Gawen in 1851 for family reasons.
Roddam entered the Navy in 1735 and after serving in the West Indies was promoted to lieutenant in 1741. His first command was the VIPER in the Channel in 1746 and he was promoted to captain in 1747, afterwards commanding the GREYHOUND in the North Sea and in North America. In 1753 Roddam commanded the Bristol guardship at Plymouth and in 1755 was appointed to the GREENWICH in the West Indies where, in 1757, she was captured by superior French forces. At his court martial he was honourably acquitted. He commanded the COLCHESTER in the Channel in 1759 and in 1760 went to St Helena to escort the homecoming East India convoy. Between 1770 and 1773 Roddam commanded the LENOX, for most of the time as guardship at Plymouth. After a period on half-pay he was appointed to the CORNWALL at Portsmouth in 1777 but in 1778 he was promoted to rear-admiral and served as Commander-in-Chief at the NORE for the remainder of the war, being promoted to vice-admiral in 1779. Roddam flew his flag in the ROYAL WILLIAM during the Spanish mobilization, 1790, but was not employed again. He became an admiral in 1793.
The Rope family were merchants and shipowners who had lived on the Suffolk coast since the seventeenth century, and had been involved in the trade on the Alde since 1766. In about 1827, George Rope entered the service of his uncle, George Mingay of Orford. Their trade was coastal, ferryin coal between the northeast and Suffolk, and taking agricultural produce to London. They were based at Orford, which had been set up to try and boost the flagging coastal trade. Although the arrival of the railways further harmed this traditional industry, Mingay and Rope (as they became when George Rope was created a partner) prospered, due to their introduction of schooners to replace the traditional brigs. Indeed George Rope continued trading well into the 1880s, and maintained his connections with Orford, being mayor three times.
British seamen and British shipowners under the National Health Insurance Scheme of 1911 were required to pay a contribution to the National Insurance Fund. The Lascar Fund became established so that contributions by shipowners could be made with respect to foreign seamen employed in British ships. This fund later became The Seamen's Pension Fund and subsequently after receiving a grant of Royal Charter in 1931, The Royal Seamen's Pension Fund. A scheme for the Constitution of a Governing Body was established in 1919. This Governing Body comprised of seven representatives of shipowners and seven representatives of all persons entitled to benefits from the fund. The fund was administered until 1928 by an officer of the Ministry of Health, after which time it was deemed necessary to set up a separate establishment with its own secretary for the body. Initially, benefits were awarded only to those seamen who were members of approved societies. In 1929, the Governing Body decided that benefit should be broadened to all those seamen residing in the United Kingdom who had either served in the British merchant marine or British fishing fleets. The overarching requisite for being eligible for benefit was number of years of service at sea as a master and seaman, being resident and dwelling in Britain, natural born or naturalised British subjects. Preference was given to those applicants who served not less than 24 years actual sea service in foreign going ships. The minimum age a pension could be awarded was 65 for a man and 60 for a woman (requiring not less than 15 years service at sea). In 1928 pensions were made payable for life.
By an order of 1845 the Board of Trade authorised a system of voluntary examination of competency for men intending to become masters and mates of foreign-going British merchant ships. The system was made compulsory for those seeking promotion by the Act of 1850 and extended to the examination of masters and mates of home trade vessels by the consolidating Act of 1854. Examinations were conducted in the major ports of the United Kingdom and successful candidates were granted Certificates of Competency. Masters and mates already serving were granted Certificates of Service. In 1862 Certificates of Competency were issued to engineers and those already serving were granted Certificates of Service. In 1881 Certificates of Competency were issued to officers with experience in steamships. In the same year Certificates of Competency were issued to skippers and mates of fishing boats and two years later Certificates of Service were also issued.
The Royal United Services Institution was formed in 1916. In the previous year Lord Lynedoch had formed a General Military Club which merged with the Navy Club soon after the opening of its first premises. It is now known as the Royal United Services Institute.
The first South Africa Conference was formed in 1883 following increased steamship trading rivalry between European shipping lines operating in the area. Its main objective quickly became the regulation of member companies and the establishment of common freight tariffs. From 1886, the Conference granted a bonus ("deferred rebate") to member companies, thus providing a trading advantage for membership, and a common interest in improving standards. The major shipping lines that made up the conferences were: The Union Castle Mail Steamship Company Limited, The Clan Line Steamers Limited, Ellerman and Bucknall Steamships Company Limited, Ellerman and Hall Line, Bullard King and Company, Harrison Line, Huston Line, British India Line and the D.O.A. Line.
A group of philanthropists opened the Destitute Sailors' Asylum in 1827 in a warehouse in Dock Street, in Whitechapel to provide shelter and food for shipwrecked and destitute sailors. It was soon realized that sailors who were not destitute also needed somewhere to stay when they were ashore as an alternative to the notorious boarding houses of the time, and a fund was started to build a sailors' home upon the site of the old Brunswick Theatre in Well Street (now renamed Ensign Street). The Committee for the Home had already begun finding berths for sailors in direct competition with the crimps, before the Home was opened in 1835. Agents were then employed to meet ships on arrival and persuade the men to stay at the Home. Other facilities provided by the committee included a sailors' bank, a slop shop, a chapel and an evening school. Later a school of navigation was opened. The Asylum was transferred to a new building in Well Street in 1836, renamed the Destitute Sailors' Rest and placed under the management of the Home.
Over the years various extensions were added to the Home to provide further accommodation until the buildings covered the whole of the site between Well Street and Dock Street. In 1882 a branch of the Home and a Rest were opened at Gravesend and the Well Street Rest was closed. The Gravesend Home and Rest were handed over to the Government during the First World War and afterwards were sold to the Shipping Federation for their new sea school. It soon became evident that provision was still needed for the destitute and the Beresford Rest was built in Wellclose Square near the Well Street Home in 1923. In 1851 a Mercantile Marine Office was opened in the Home and in 1854 the Secretary of the Home was appointed as the Shipping Superintendent. The Mercantile Marine Office moved to Tower Hill in 1873, but in 1895 part of the Home was demolished and a new Mercantile Marine Office and examination rooms were built in Dock Street for leasing to the Board of Trade. In 1893 the London School of Nautical Cookery was opened by the Home in conjunction with the London County Council. When the Merchant Shipping Act of 1906 made it compulsory for all British foreign-going ships to carry a certificated cook, the School was enlarged to help meet the extra demand. The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Society rented a room at the Home from 1895 until 1958. The object of the Destitute Sailors' Fund had been to provide practical help through the Rest. When bomb damage prevented this in 1941, the men were accommodated at the Home. In 1947 it was decided to use the Rest Fund for the purpose of assisting the inmates of the Home in temporary need of help. At the Home a rebuilding programme was carried out between 1951 and 1961. However, by 1974 the Home was in financial difficulties and had to close at the end of that year.
Sir Admiral Nowell Salmon joined the Navy as a Volunteer First Class in 1847 and served on THESIS at the South American Station during the period 1851-53. He was promoted to First Mate in 1854 and would go on to serve on JAMES WHATT in the Baltic, gaining the Baltic medal. In January 1856. He was promoted to Lieutenant and made commander in March 1856. During the Indian Mutiny of 1857 he went into action in the town of Lucknow, under Peel. Peel then called for volunteers to climb a tree next to the fortified temple in order to spot grenade throwers Sir Admiral Nowell Salmon volunteered and received the Victoria Cross. He then joined SHERMAN in May 1853. During the period 1859-61 He was in control of ICARUS, in the Mediterranean and the West Indies stations and in 1863 was promoted to Captain, commanding DEFENCE in the West Indies. In 1878 Salmon commanded SWIFTSHORE and by 1885 was promoted to Vice Admiral. He served as the Commander in Chief of the China Station 1888-1891 and became an Admiral on 10th September 1891. He then served as the Commander in Chief of Portsmouth 1894-7. In 1899 he was made Admiral of the Fleet. He retired in 1905, and lived in retirement at Curdridge Grange, Botley, Hampshire. Sir Admiral Nowell Salmon died on 14th February 1912. In 1866 Sir Admiral Nowell Salmon married Emily Augusta.
Edward Montagu, first earl of Sandwich, KG (1625-1672), army and naval officer and diplomat, was born at Barnwell, Northamptonshire, on 27 July 1625, the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Sydney Montagu (circa 1571-1644) of Hinchingbrooke, Huntingdonshire. Montagu was MP for Huntingdonshire and groom of the bedchamber to James I. In October 1655 he was appointed to the admiralty committee and later general at sea (2 January 1656). This was a position he shared with Robert Blake whose illness led to Cromwell's need for another trusted authority in the fleet, thus securing Montagu's elevation. The fleet under Montagu and Blake sailed on 15 March 1656 and took command in the first-rate NASEBY. Successfully reconnoitring Tangier, Tetuan and Gibraltar the NASEBY returned home and on 17 July Montagu commanded the fleet to support the attacks on Dunkirk and Mardyke. In 1659 Montagu took command of a fleet set for the Baltic, finding forces of Charles X of Sweden at Copenhagen and redirecting his efforts to persuade the Dutch to remain peaceful and not intervene. However Montagu withdrew upon hearing the fall of Richard Cromwell. He was appointed to the council of state on 23 February and made general at sea jointly with Monck on 2 March 1660; appointed to the admiralty commission on 3 March. Montagu's critical involvement in the landing of the royal party at Dover on 25 May 1660 led to his being made an earl, choosing Sandwich for his title on 12 July 1660, later a knight of the Garter. In the Second Anglo-Dutch War 1665-1667 he fought at the Battle of Lowestoft and later defeated at the Battle of Vagen. He was re-appointed in 1672 at the start of the Third Anglo-Dutch War he was appointed Vice- Admiral of the Blue serving in the ROYAL JAMES. He was killed at the Battle of Solebay, his ship destroyed by a group of fire ships. He was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey on 3 July 1672 after a state funeral beginning along the River Thames as part of decorated barges sailing from Deptford. Interestingly, Montagu was the first cousin of the father of Samuel Pepys.
John Montagu took his seat in the House of Lords in 1739 and in 1744 was appointed one of the Lords of the Admiralty. He represented the United Kingdom at the negotiations leading to the conclusion of peace in 1748. He then became First Lord of the Admiralty 1748 to 1761, for a brief period in 1763 and again from 1771 to 1782, after which he held no further public office. A selection of his papers were published by Sir George Barnes and Commander J.H. Owen, 'The private papers of John, Earl of Sandwich 1771-1782' (Navy Records Society, 1932-1938, 4 volumes). There is a biography by George Martelli, 'Jemmy Twitcher, a life of the Fourth Earl of Sandwich' (London, 1962).
Montagu took his seat in the House of Lords in 1739 and in 1744 was appointed one of the Lords of the Admiralty. He represented the United Kingdom at the negotiations leading to the conclusion of peace in 1748. He then became First Lord of the Admiralty, 1748 to 1761, for a brief period in 1763 and again from 1771 to 1782, after which he held no further public office. A selection of his papers were published by Sir George Barnes and Commander J.H. Owen, The private papers of John, Earl of Sandwich 1771-1782 (Navy Records Society, 1932-1938, 4 vols). There is a biography by George Martelli, Jemmy Twitcher, a life of the Fourth Earl of Sandwich (London, 1962).
Montagu, Edward, first earl of Sandwich, KG, (1625-1672), army and naval officer and diplomat, was born at Barnwell, Northamptonshire, on 27 July 1625, the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Sydney Montagu (c 1571-1644) of Hinchingbrooke, Huntingdonshire. Montagu was an MP for Huntingdonshire and groom of the bedchamber to James I.
In October 1655, he was appointed to the admiralty committee and later general at sea on 2 January 1656. This was a position he shared with Robert Blake whose illness led to Cromwell's need for another trusted authority in the fleet, thus securing Montagu's elevation. The fleet under Montagu and Blake sailed on 15 March 1656 and took command in the first-rate Naseby. Successfully reconnoitring Tangier, Tetuan and Gibraltar the Naseby returned home and on 17 July Montagu commanded the fleet to support the attacks on Dunkirk and Mardyke. In 1659 Montagu took command of a fleet set for the Baltic, finding forces of Charles X of Sweden at Copenhagen and redirecting his efforts to persuade the Dutch to remain peaceful and not intervene. However Montagu withdrew upon hearing the fall of Richard Cromwell. He was appointed to the council of state on 23 February and made general at sea jointly with Monck on 2 March 1660; appointed to the admiralty commission on 3 March.
Montagu's critical involvement in the landing of the royal party at Dover on 25 May 1660 led to his being made an earl, choosing Sandwich for his title on 12 July 1660, later a knight of the Garter. In the Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1665-1667, he fought at the Battle of Lowestoft and later defeated at the Battle of Vagen. He was re-appointed in 1672 at the start of the Third Anglo-Dutch War he was appointed Vice- Admiral of the Blue serving in the ROYAL JAMES. He was killed at the Battle of Solebay, his ship destroyed by a group of fire ships. He was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey on 3 July 1672 after a state funeral beginning along the River Thames as part of decorated barges sailing from Deptford. Interestingly, Montagu was the first cousin of the father of Samuel Pepys.
The Sailing Boat Association was formed in 1888 to promote 'the interests of small boat sailing and to obtain a uniform system of measurement and time allowances'. It was decided that the Association should consist of recognized sailing clubs on the Thames between Oxford and Teddington and of such other clubs not sailing on tidal waters which might be willing to conform to the rules. It particularly catered for the Rater, half-Rater and later the Handicap Dinghy classes and was the earliest association to foster racing in sailing dinghies. In 1890 the Association began consultations with the Thames Conservancy on new bye-laws for steam vessels and sailing boats on the Upper Thames. In 1928 the Association decided to adopt the Yacht Racing Association rules in place of its own and it sought association with this organization. The Association was dissolved in 1947.
In 1868 Scott began a venture, financed initially by his father, that resulted in the shipbuilding partnership of Messrs Scott and Linton of Dumbarton. The company failed the following year, Linton blaming the creditors for preventing the completion of ships under construction, which included the CUTTY SARK.
Scott was ordained in 1792 and from 1793 served as a chaplain in the Navy. His competence in French, Spanish and Italian was of special use in the Mediterranean. In 1803 Nelson persuaded Scott to go with him to the Mediterranean. Although he was officially chaplain of the VICTORY, he was also able to render efficient service as a private secretary and interpreter. He continued with Nelson on this footing until Trafalgar. Scott afterwards was Vicar of Southampton and in 1816 was presented to the Crown living of Catterick.
See Alfred and Margaret Catty, 'Recollections of the Life of the Rev. A.J. Scott DD, Lord Nelson's chaplain' (London, 1842).
Scott entered the Navy in 1803, was made a lieutenant in 1809 and after service in the Channel, off the African coast and in North America, was promoted to captain in 1828. He commanded the PRESIDENT, flagship, West Indies, 1834 to 1836, and when she was flagship, Pacific, 1836 to 1839. Scott saw no further service after 1841 and was promoted to rear-admiral in 1854, vice-admiral in 1861 and admiral in 1865. He published Recollections of a naval life (London, 1834).
Sergison began his career as a dockyard clerk in 1671 and in 1675 was appointed an extra clerk to the Comptroller of Victualling Accounts in the Navy Office. In 1677 he was made Chief Clerk to the Clerk of the Acts in which office he remained until 1686. For two years he was secretary of the new commission for conducting current business and continued with the title of Secretary when the Navy Board was re-constituted in 1688. In the following year he was made Assistant Clerk of the Acts and in 1690 became Clerk of the Acts, a post which he held until 1719.
Shirreff entered the Navy in 1796, was promoted to lieutenant in 1804 and to captain in 1809. Between 1817 and 1821 he commanded the ANDROMACHE in the Pacific, at the time of the Chilean War of Independence. He also despatched Edward Bransfield (c 1783-1852), Master of the ANDROMACHE, in the hired ship WILLIAMS OF BLYTH to claim the South Shetland Islands, 1819 to 1820, for Britain. Between 1830 and 1837 Shirreff was Captain of the Port of Gibraltar under the Colonial Service. In 1838 he was appointed to Captain-Superintendent of Deptford Victualling Yard. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1846.
Sharpe went to sea in the BLAZER, Captain Owen Stanley (1811-1849), in 1845. He entered the Navy in 1846 and sailed with Stanley in the RATTLESNAKE on her surveying voyage to Australia, 1846 to 1850. Two years later he was again appointed to the RATTLESNAKE, as mate, and sailed in her to the Arctic to relieve the expedition searching for Sir John Franklin. In 1854 he was promoted to lieutenant. From 1857 to 1859 he was in the MAGICIENNE and served during the Second Chinese War. He was promoted to commander in 1863 and in 1867 was appointed to command the WATERWITCH, hydraulic gun boat, during tests on her performance. In 1868 he was appointed to the LAPWING on the west coast of Ireland and then escorted the ships towing the new floating dock to Bermuda, continuing to the West Indies. He was promoted to captain in 1870 and from 1875 to 1878 commanded the Indian troopship CROCODILE. He retired in 1886, became a rear-admiral in 1887 and a vice-admiral in 1892.
When he was a boy Sisson's family moved to Switzerland where he went to school. He entered the Navy in 1860 as a cadet in the BRITANNIA and was promoted to midshipman in 1862 After serving in the NEPTUNE, 1861 to 1863, in the Mediterranean, the EDGAR in home waters, 1863 to 1866 and the DORIS in North America and the West Indies from 1866 to 1869, he was promoted to lieutenant in 1869. From 1872 to 1875 Sisson was in the PETEREL on the Pacific Station. After a spell in the MALABAR in 1878 he commanded the FIREBRAND at the Cape of Good Hope from 1879 to 1882. He retired as a commander in 1882 and in 1883 was appointed Port Captain of Natal but died the same year.
Smith-Dorrien entered the BRITANNIA in 1870 and then went to the TRAFALGAR, which was the cadet training ship at that time. His first service was in the ENDYMION between 1872 and 1873, after which he joined the VOLAGE during an expedition, 1874 to 1875, to observe the transit of Venus at Kerguelen Island, Indian Ocean. He then served in the SULTAN, Channel Squadron, before taking his gunnery and Greenwich courses. In 1876 he was appointed to the SHAH on her commission as flagship in the Pacific and was present at the action with the Peruvian turret-ship HUASCAR. During the Zulu War of 1879 he was in the Naval Brigade and was also promoted to lieutenant. From 1880, he was in the ECLIPSE, East Indies Station, operating against the slave trade; he ended the commission by service in the Naval Brigade in Egypt, 1882. On his return home he was appointed Flag-Lieutenant to the Commander-in-Chief, Devonport. From 1884 to 1885 he served in the Mediterranean and then in China in the INVINCIBLE; from 1886 to 1887 he was in the Red Sea in the CONDOR; from 1887 to 1889 he was in the ESPIEGLE, in the Pacific and then from 1889 to 1893 was in the PHAETON on the Mediterranean Station. He was appointed commander in 1893, going to the BRITANNIA and in 1897 to the ALACRITY, Admiral's despatch vessel on the China Station. Having become a captain in 1900, in 1901 he commanded the RAINBOW. He retired in 1904 and was promoted to rear-admiral on the retired list in 1909.
Smithett joined the packet service in 1814 and was on the Dover Station from 1821 to 1825, when he went to the Port Patrick (SW Scotland) service. He returned to Dover in 1831 and was still there in 1837 when the operation of the mail steam vessels was transferred from the control of the Post-Master General to that of the Admiralty; he continued to serve at Dover until 1855, when another change in policy led to the substitution of contract packets; the naval connection was formally ended in 1860. Smithett subsequently held occasional employment as a pilot for the Royal Yacht but no record can be found of any further service after 1857. He was knighted in 1862.
Smith entered the Navy in 1777 and served in North America and the West Indies, where in 1780 he was promoted to lieutenant. After the American War of Independence, he travelled in France, North Africa and the Baltic as a government agent and at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he was in Smyrna. He joined Hood at Toulon and took part in its evacuation and burning. In 1794 he was employed in the North Sea and in 1796 off Le Havre, where he was captured during a cutting-out expedition. For two years he was a prisoner but escaped in 1798, when he was given command of Tigre as senior officer in the Levant. In 1799 his success at the defence of Acre halted the advance of the French army. He was elected Member of Parliament for Rochester in 1802. On the resumption of the war Smith commanded a squadron off Holland. In 1805 he was promoted to rear-admiral and went to the Mediterranean where he was active off the coast of South Italy. He took part in the expedition to the Dardanelles in 1807 and in the following year went briefly to the South American Station. In 1810 he was promoted to vice-admiral and went in 1812 to be second-in-command of the Mediterranean Station, returning in bad health in 1814. He saw no further active service and retired to Paris after 1815. He was made an admiral in 1821 Among the biographies are Sir John Barrow, 'Life and correspondence of Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith, G. C. B.' (London, 1848) and Edward Russell, 2nd Baron of Liverpool, 'Knight of the sword; the life and letters of Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith, C. C. B.' (London, 1964).